Publisher: The Commercial Appeal


The worst of the Memphis COVID-19 pandemic could be the next 2-4 weeks

The Commercial Appeal

Throughout the first week of January, a record number of people were sick in Memphis hospitals with COVID-19. The first few days of 2021 saw more than 600 people in the hospital each day. On Wednesday, there was a record 661.  


COVID-19 projections: 1,000 more people in Shelby County could die by Valentine’s Day

The Commercial Appeal

The COVID-19 death toll in Shelby County could accelerate in the next eight weeks if the pandemic is left unchecked. People could begin to die by the dozens each day and Shelby County could see about 1,000 more people perish between now and mid-February, projections from the Memphis and Shelby County COVID-19 joint task-force show. Such a… Read More


‘There’s hope for 2021’: Medical workers across Memphis get first doses of COVID-19 vaccine

The Commercial Appeal

The first COVID-19 vaccinations in Shelby County have begun as medical workers at all of the Memphis-area hospital systems — including the county’s first confirmed COVID-19 patient — started to receive the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week.


Which Memphis-area COVID-19 testing labs are fastest? State data tell the tale

The Commercial Appeal

The in-house COVID-19 testing program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is one of the fastest labs in the Memphis area, handling nearly 9,000 tests in a two-week period with a result turnaround time of less than a day, according to recently released state data. The lab at Regional One Health likewise had a listed… Read More


COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Memphis as cases, hospitalizations climb. What happens next?

The Commercial Appeal

As the Christmas week began in the Mid-South, healthcare workers were faced with a startling juxtaposition: the hope provided by the commencement of COVID-19 vaccinations and the grim reality that as cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, healthcare systems are quickly running out of workers to treat all the patients coming in.  


UTHSC to begin vaccinating university’s frontline workers, first responders Saturday

The Commercial Appeal

COVID-19 vaccinations will begin at Memphis’ University of Tennessee Health Science Center Saturday, the university announced Friday. Several hospitals in Memphis began vaccinating frontline workers earlier this week. Scott Strome, executive dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine, said the college is “delighted.” Strome credited Kennard Brown, the executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer,… Read More


Draft of directive: Safer at Home would take effect early Monday and last until Jan. 3

The Commercial Appeal

The Shelby County Health Department’s Safer at Home order would limit onsite dining, bars and clothing retailers in the days before Christmas, but leave many other businesses unaffected, according to a draft obtained by The Commercial Appeal Friday evening.


UTHSC to begin vaccinating university’s frontline workers, first responders Saturday

The Commercial Appeal

COVID-19 vaccinations will begin at Memphis’ University of Tennessee Health Science Center Saturday, the university announced Friday.Several hospitals in Memphis began vaccinating frontline workers earlier this week.